Ready for Chapter 10? Here it is! More than one crucial conversation is about to happen. Read on to find who Courtney will talk to after Zoey. First, I'll reply to more reviews.

animefan1009: You're about to find out what they'll discuss. Glad I was also able to give you a nice birthday present with the last chapter.

GlitchWarrior: Mal is indeed still around. You'll see how crazy things later get.

Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: Heather's elimination was admittedly predictable, but I knew Courtney would want her out pre-merge if possible, so she took the chance to make that happen. Getting Mal under control is easier said than done.

That British Guy: Sorry, but cliffhangers add dramatic/suspenseful effect, which is what I was aiming for.

ShadowJcreed: Somebody clearly doesn't like the future Mrs. Burromuerto. I personally despised Heather when first watching TDI, but as she toned down her mean antics in TDA, was even less of a jerk during TDWT, and only loses more nastiness without entirely going soft during TDAS, she's now overall someone I have mixed feelings on. You're welcome for her departure. I also find Lindsay's cheer for that fitting given their canon conflict. Ms. Busty blonde and Sam are among my favorite Total Drama characters and I admittedly feel they should've gone further than they did in the real season 5, so it's fun to improvise with them here and I'm glad you enjoy their actions so far. You'll see what happens with Mal. Zoey will state here why she was fine with Courtney using the shovel on Mike to test their theory.

Jose-B-DragonMarino: I presume you mean "As a Courtney fan", in which case you're welcome.

Skittyn: In the future, it would be better for you to post your comments in English. If I've translated your review correctly, it's nice to know you like what I've been doing. Mal has plans that only time will tell. Courtney isn't just going to directly confront that evil thing on how she knows about him as that would create havoc and likely prompt him to orchestrate her elimination like he did with Alejandro in canon.

Here we go!

Zoey looks around to make sure nobody else is nearby. All we can see is Alejandro swimming to shore. Heather apparently pushed him into the water just like when I first lived through the season. The pigtailed girl then takes me off to a side where he can't hear either of us while making his way to the boys' cabin. Here we go.

"Now that nobody is within earshot, I'm very worried about Mike." she anxiously whispers. "His Chester personality woke up from that whack and complained about 'dang fool kids swinging shovels everywhere', but then some evil thing came up and told him it was only the beginning of something before Mike turned back into his normal self again. Chances are that vicious bit was the Mal that Duncan warned us about even if that sounded crazy when he first spoke of him. It also must've been who I saw chucking Lindsay's lipstick at animals yesterday, which you may have overheard during last night's moon race. Not blaming you since it was my idea to give another hit to the head even though I couldn't bring myself to carry out the actual whack. I saw from a distance how you stopped him from using that giant boulder, and though I couldn't hear any of what either of you were saying as I ran over before he mentioned needing to protect me plus had no better ideas to fix whatever's wrong with him, thanks for not letting Mike hurt himself more than necessary. Something that big easily could've killed him and you prevented that before I could."

Your instinct is correct, Zoey. With Chester surfacing, it seems like things are partially back to how they were before the season began. The boulder indeed would've been worse than what just happened. Too bad you couldn't stop him in time from using that during my first run-through.

"No wonder you sound distressed. The whistle I heard earlier definitely sounded like Mal's signature tune as well. That persona has evidently found a way to disguise himself as Mike. It could be tricky to tell at times who's in control." I reply.

"Exactly! That's something I really worry about. I wanted to consult you before anyone else since you helped Mike and me test our theory." Ms. Pigtails adds. "While I know the real Mike that I love still is with us and have no doubt he's the main persona rather than Mal, he can't control himself now as well as before. I'd hate for that evil thing to dominate control of his body."

That happened last time until Mike somehow defeated him. She learned about this after watching Alejandro's DVD compiled of Mal moments. Here's hoping her boyfriend conquers his inner demon sooner now since he has more control than in the original timeline.

I add "It feels like we're living out Robert Louis Stevenson's book Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, except with more than one alternate personality."

"True, and I do hope this Hyde doesn't hurt my Jekyll or anyone else." Zoey agrees.

"As do I. If there was some way to bring him back for certain, then we could record that and play it for him when we know Mal is among us." I tell her.

The pigtailed girl hesitates. After a moment, she says "There's only one thing I can think of; me in some form of danger. I unfortunately don't know how we could convincingly feign that and not have to go through actual danger."

Dammit! I hoped for something less drastic. This fake danger would have to sound real to trick Mal and/or get through to Mike. Wait, does it have to involve physical harm? Let's go into specifics. I then ask her "You say danger, but what about danger of losing the game, or in danger of some emotional distress? Is it solely limited to your physical safety?"

"Danger of elimination would do no good as he'd see right through that when I'm still competing. Emotional distress on the other hand could be worth trying." Zoey answers.

"What we need now is a tape recorder or something." I add, feeling this might do some good for us.

"There should be one somewhere in the hotel. You've already risked enough by entering it once after losing today's challenge, so leave this to me. I'll meet with you to record in the morning before Mike or Mal returns from exile if I do find anything. Lindsay and Sam would probably find me going in and out of there at night suspicious." she tells me.

"Fair enough. Just knock on the window so I know it's you. If Gwen asks for anything, then tell her we need to talk alone. She'd probably think we're insane for trying to do anything Mal-related without tangible evidence he's around." I respond, and then we part.

I'm shocked either of us could come up with a plan as soon as we did without me giving away my time-travel. While it might not be perfect, this is better than nothing and we could adjust details later if needed. Chef is likely still expecting me to return the idol to him. Better go find that cook. As I make my way over to the docks, he can be seen getting off his boat.

"If you by any chance orchestrated tonight's elimination, then major kudos to you, Gomez! You've definitely got the brains for it and taking out Heather Woodley pre-merge is quite an accomplishment considering how crafty she often is." the cook compliments as he walks towards me.

"As a matter of fact, I did, and thank you." I confirm. "I was fed up of that bitch plus knew Gwen probably was too, so getting her in on the plan was easy. Cameron thankfully had no problems agreeing to join us. Scott on the other hand needed more convincing to take part in my plan. Alejandro apparently just voted for her on his own terms. He'd probably get suspicious of me if I did consult him for a vote, though; we're not exactly on good terms and don't trust one another that well."

I then hand him the idol. He replies "Smart thinking. I now need to meet up with Chris before he complains about my absence." before leaving, and we wave each other goodbye.

If I didn't already have Hatchet's respect, then I'm sure I do now. It feels quite nice. Too bad he still must make something gross for my dinner when my team lost today's challenge. A subpar breakfast will also follow tomorrow morning. There's one last challenge coming up before the merge, so I hope to finish strong before Gwen and Scott are no longer my teammates.

Speaking of the ginger, he's probably expecting me soon. I'm certain he wants to ask me out the next chance he gets. No problems with that as I'd gladly be his once he does during a time when we don't have any challenges. Chances are he's near or inside the boys' cabin. I head over towards there. On my way, I see Sam talking with him in the distance. While I know the gamer has befriended Cameron and Mike, why would he chat with Scott now when they never really got along that well before? I decide to listen in on their conversation.

"Sam, I know we haven't exactly been friends or anything, but I need your help as the other guys would probably give me crap for this or just be plain unhelpful if I consulted them. It's a similar scenario to what you once had last season. You know how you only had one date in your life before meeting your girlfriend Dakota? To be honest, I've never had much luck with girls myself except for some hand-holding, some hugging, and one kiss. I'm also not sure how initiate a relationship or be a boyfriend. Tips for getting a girlfriend without screwing things up would be quite nice." the ginger urges.

Of the remaining males, only Al could possibly give him crap for that now. Duncan would probably get jealous and attack Scott physically and/or verbally for wanting to be with me if still in the game. Even though Mike and Cameron still have conflicts with Scott, I'm sure neither would make fun of the guy for liking someone. Any girls who may have rejected him before are missing out.

"Show this lady that you care and that you like her for who she is. That's what I did with Dakota. I might not have always said the right things at first, but if you treat this someone well and are dedicated to her, then you should at least have a chance unless she's already seeing somebody else and/or has already turned you down." the gamer advises. "When you feel there's something that could lead to more than friendship, just keep it short and simple as you ask her out. You should also do so in privacy to avoid interruptions. Maybe rehearse aloud and/or mentally before you pop the question. Do her little favors from time to time, but don't go overboard with it. Best of luck with whoever it is you like."

Sam's pretty spot on and probably referring to that time he said Dakota had "beautiful nostrils" before quickly realizing how odd that sounded. It admittedly was quite funny and reminded me of how Geoff once screwed up by awkwardly telling Bridgette in season 1 "you pitch a tent like a guy" when trying to compliment her tent-building skills. Geoff quickly learned from that mistake and later won Bridgette over. Sam obviously has also become wiser with what to say and do around females. Dakota's lucky to have someone as dedicated as him. Not to brag, but I know I can say I also scored in finding dedication within Scott.

"Much appreciated. You don't know how much this means to me." Scott thanks him.

"Of course. I felt the same way before I started dating Dakota. Then I remembered what some buddies from my gaming leagues told me, and it ended up working well." Sam replies before walking away.

That exchange reminds me of how the ginger admitted during a confessional that he didn't have any idea on how to be a boyfriend, and that "If you're ever in Holland, go Dutch" was the only dating advice his father ever gave him. Did the guy's mom and sister never provide anything useful? Oh well. At least now he's got more to work with. Chef shows up with the losers' dinner shortly afterwards: a burnt duck.

Sure, it's an improvement over the subpar meals I had when losing other challenges this season, but burning dinner still irks me. Scott asks me "Would you care to have dinner with me, alone?" as I take some duck and utensils.

I smile and nod. It's hard hiding my excitement when I know what inevitably will come up, but I need to wait for the right moment. He gestures for me to follow him and I comply. We walk up to a secluded spot shining under the moonlight. I then take a seat next to him. The two of us start eating. As we finish the meal about ten minutes later, something comes up.

"Courtney, you know how we agreed to be allies, right?" he inquires.

"Of course." I affirm while chewing my last mouthful of duck.

"Well, what if I told you I wanted more than that?" the ginger adds.

I swallow before replying "Go on; I'm listening."

Scott gulps and has an anxious look on his face. It's rather obvious why. He says "The truth is that I-I like you a lot. I have ever since day one. Just didn't really know how to properly express it at first. After spending time together, winning some challenges, losing others, holding hands a couple of times, and even that brief kiss after I saved you last night from that angry deer, I need to ask something while we're alone and I still have the chance."

My smile couldn't be held back. I don't care at this point. The ginger then pulls out a ring from his pocket, which probably was made from that string he picked up a couple of days ago instead of his filthy shoelace. Much cleaner and more appealing!

"Will you be my boyfriend? Ugh, no; I meant to say girlfriend." Scott continues as he holds out the ring and chuckles nervously over his flub. "Sorry about that. Will you go out with me?"

He got it right sooner than in my first run-through! Perhaps rehearsing beforehand like Sam suggested helped him here. I then respond with "No worries, and I like you too, so yes. Just please don't let our relationship get in the way of challenges." as I put the ring on my finger and we share a loving kiss that lasts for several seconds.

FINALLY! I needed to get that out of my system and have been waiting so long for us to become a couple. So glad it's now officially become reality! He earned it. You can bet your bottom dollar I won't fuck things up with him like before. Right now, I can't stop smiling. Neither can he.

"Not a problem. Let me take your dish back to the cabin. I insist." Scott then unexpectedly tells me.

Quite a gentleman! He didn't have to do this, but I'm fine with it and hand him my plate before we walk back. It's been a better night than I could've imagined after losing today's challenge. Not only did one of my biggest enemies go home, but I at long last am dating the guy I want! Thanks to Sam for also helping the ginger start this relationship more smoothly tonight than in the original timeline. I respect the gamer even more now and there's no doubt he'll also have Scott's gratitude.

Once we arrive at the girls' cabin, I warmly hug Scott and say "Thanks for the solo dinner tonight and carrying my plate. Let's hope we win tomorrow. In the meantime, it's getting late and I should rest before the next challenge."

He tells me "My pleasure, and I also hope to win again." before we let go of the hug and he heads over to the boys' cabin.

I then put the ring in my pocket before getting my toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and pajamas. After reaching the communal bathrooms (the cabins don't have any sinks or toilets), I get changed and then clean my teeth. Once I finish flossing, I use the toilet before heading back to the cabin. Something I'll have to remember is my plan with Zoey in the morning. Gwen is in one of the beds already.

"It's quite a relief to not have Heather around anymore. Thanks again for getting her out tonight as these cabins at least are now more pleasant to be in." the goth states.

"Sure thing, and you can say that again!" I agree, and then yawn before adding "Now I need sleep. Goodnight."

"Same with me. Goodnight to you too." she replies, and we both call it a night. I feel myself drifting to sleep within a few minutes.

Zoey has a plan for bringing back Mike! Scottney also officially became a couple! If you're wondering why Sam helped give Scott dating tips, then it's because I imagined the gamer would sympathize with his situation as they had similar experiences (or lack thereof) with relationships before first competing on Total Drama. Next chapter will be the last challenge before the merge.

Elimination Order:

Sierra (14th place), Lightning (13th place), Jo (12th place), Duncan (11th place), Heather (10th place)

Remaining Players:

Heroic Hamsters: Lindsay, Mike, Sam, Zoey

Villainous Vultures: Alejandro, Cameron, Courtney, Gwen, Scott

Chapter posted: October 14, 2018.